DEPECHE MODE peaked a few DECADES ago . . . and even though they were a pretty big deal once, they never had a #1 hit in America. And yet somehow they’ve been CRUSHING IT on the road in 2017.

According to Bloomberg.com, they sold 1.27 MILLION tickets over the first nine months of this year . . . and that’s more than Ed Sheeran, Justin Bieber or Bruno Mars.

And in October, they became the first act to sell out four consecutive shows at the Hollywood Bowl.

Depeche guitarist MARTIN GORE says, quote, “Every time we go out and tour, we’re playing to more people. It’s just incredible at this stage in our career.”

A lot of bands that don’t exactly light up the charts anymore are making bank on the road. While official, year-end numbers aren’t in yet, the biggest tours of 2017 include Guns N’ Roses, U2, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, and Stevie Nicks.